Rock drilling apparatus



April 3, 1956 G. GATTl ROCK DRILLING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 1, 1953 INVENTOR G8 ra 2a; 6 a 2 Z' ATTORNEYj April 3, 1956 G. GATT] ROCK DRILLING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Filed June 1, 1953 INVENTOR 0'6 712 Z2 6' a if z ATTORNEYS April 3, 1956 G. GATT] ROCK DRILLING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 1, 1953 April 3, 1956 G. GATTl ROCK DRILLING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 1, 1953 INVENTOR G'araZaZ G'aii'zl ATTORNEY5 United States Patent ROG-K DRILLING APPARATUS Gerald Gatti, Wyoming, Pa. Application ilune 1, 1953,Serial'No.- 358;654 2 Claims. (Cl. 2ss--s1 This invention relates to drilling apparatus for rock, coal 'or the likei In the mining of rock,*coal'-'or the like,holes are drilled into them'aterial' to receive blasting charges, and various types bf drilling machines-amused. 'These nrachines are quite :heavy and various kinds of supporting devices are used for supporting themachinesdnring thedrilling operations. 'I'ncertain instances the supportsare of such-construction that the drilling operation is limited 'both 'as-to the direction in'which the holes may be drilled and asto the depth of the holes.

.The device herein disclosed is a mechanical device, operated by compressed air, :designed for use as an automatic feedingme'chanism for all typesof rock and mineral drillingandrpreparation for blastin'gor otherwise and also for use in any machine, mechanism or rig wherein :the movement over a designatedmachine' distance-of apart of said machine can he profitable and practically controlled and activated by means of .the operation-of "compressed air through .a-rigid tube actuated andcontrolled by aifiexible pistonirod. The'principleinvolved in actuatingwthis mechanism is airpressure in acylinderiactingupon a-double action piston, having flexible piston rods instead of the-customary solid type=piston rods. These cablerods are attached to each end of the double acting piston. These cablerods then .pass through a packing box 'at each end of the cylinder and immediately beyond the packing box pass around a pulley located at each end of the cylinder. After passing around the pulley, the forward cablerod is attached to the .front of a cradle which carries the particular type-of machinery involved, and the reverse cable rod is attached to .the rear of said cradle.

It is thereforean object of this invention toprovidea supporting means for a drilling machine which willpermit the drilling machine to-drill holes to a maximum depth, and .the holes may he drilledin either the side walls, roof or fioor of .the mine, and attany .selected angle.

Another object of this invention is .to;prvide a support for a drilling machine which includes meansfor moving the machine forward during the drilling opcration-and-ifor withdrawing the drill bit when the'drilling operationth-as beenco'mp'leted.

A further object of thisinvention is toprovide animproved 'fee'din'g'm'e'ans for a drilling machine wherein the feeding of the machine is'acco-mpli'shed'by means of'flu'id under pressureand the fluid-may be either air orliquid.

-A further object or this invention istoproVide" an improved feeding and supporting means'wlii'ch can be collapsed to occupyonly a small space when notin use.

With the above and otherobjects in view, 1nyin'ven tionconsists in the arrangement, combination an'd detailsof construction-disclosed in thedrawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In-the drawings: 7

Figure "l is a detailed side elevation of adrill supportin'g means constructed according to an-embodimentof thisinvention.

ice

Figure? is a sectional view taken on-tthe IineYZ -YZ of Figure .1. p

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on' the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4' is a" fragmentary sectional View taken on :the line; 4-4 of Figure2.

Figure '5 is" a sectional view taken on't'he line "5- 5 of either Figures 1 or 3.

'Fi'gure"'6 is a. sectional view taken onthe line 6 -6 or eitherFigure l or 3'.

Figure 7 is' a "fragmentary longitudinal section of the exten'siblebra'cei v Figure 8 is a fragmentary vertical section sunflower end supporting post.

Figure'9 isa fragmentary horizontallsection'ofa modifield form ofthisinvention;

Figure lois'a fragmentaryhorizontalsection of'anotlier modification 'df thisinvention;

"Figure 11' i's'a fragmentary horizontal section of a further 'modificationof'this invention;

Referring to the drawings and first to Figures '1 'to 8 inclusive, the numeral'iS'designates generallya vertically disposed supporting post which is formeddfanelongated tube 16 having adjustablydisposedin theupperendthere of, I a shaft1-7 provided=with'-a tooth'ed liead' 1 8" at'its'upper end; The'--head 18 is adapte'd to bite into' the ceilingof the mine to 'hold-the upper-endof the-postagainst'm'ove ment. The s'l'raft' 17Yi's' pr'ovidedwithspaced openings"!!! through which a securing pi-n '20 extending throughhhe tubular member -16 adapted to'en'gage. 'The lower end of thepost- 16 has 'threadably 'tlisposed'therein; a shaft which' is swivelly mounted at its lower endin a toothed footzs ffor'bitingengagement-with-the' floor of the mine.

A laterally extending:toolsupportingmeans generally indicated .at'2'4 is adjustabl y" secured at its inner end on the post .16 an'd textends laterallyor outwardly tram post. The :tool supporting :member 2-24 is adjustabl'y secured .inaa laterally projecting positionwith respect "to the .post 16 by- 'an extensible 'brace' zsfiwhic'h includes a tubular member 26 'and a ttelesco'pic rnember '2-7 formed with spacedopeningsl28.

.A pin 29 extends ithrOJJglI- fh'l, mbuta-r member 26 and through selected ones df'the openings 28 The 'lowei o'r inner I'endof theibrace member 25 is pivotall-y secured-to a collar-:30. having a pairzof:outwardl-y projctingarms-BI between which :the inner 'te'lescopic member -27 is "adapted to be .pi-v'otall-y secured. The supporting member- 24 --is formed of aiipair of confrontingaUsshapedtracks ore-guides 32 :which are aconnected :toge'ther- .at z-their inner ends by a connecting member 33 having a'du g :34"whieh engages between apair .tif-.arms 85. iliheia rmsi SS' eXtend from a collar .36 which .loos'elyrengages:aboutithe post 1 6"and the arms .35 -are ssecured to the 1ug 334' by means ot-a ipi-vot bolt 37.

:The outer ends of the railsv32za're connected together-by means of a connectingmember 38. and .the conne'cting member 38 includes a bushing 39idisposed-zbelow the'rails or. guidesBZ. The bushing 39 .ha'si projecting downwardly therefrom a; pair of .ears 40 between-which a lug 41: carried by.thelbrace 25 .is adaptedrtoeng-age, and the lug-His pivotall-y secured between the .ears 4.0 by means .of-a pivot'bolt 42'. A marriage 43 is disposed .above the rails: 32'an1iis'Torn'1ed of'a'pla'te 44 having apaii of oppositely disposedl shapefl slide members 45 extending therefrom and engagingthe Ushalietl'failsot guides" Theforwardends'bf the rails32 have" secured therebetween g plate 46 having a pair of spaced upwardlyprojectiug 'guide" bars -nmzbenueen whih the drilhsteel-ofl'tlietool isadapted to engage;

llhe plate 4410f the marriage has: extending-upwardly from-the'rrear. thereonaa pair?ofitears tdttwetween which the I rear port-ionof the drillingfiool is'a'dapted rtozrrockably' engage, and the tool is clamped to the plate 44 by means of a clamping bar 49 which engages a pair of upstanding bolts 50 which are secured to the plate 44.

In order to provide a means whereby the tool, which 'is mounted on the carriage 43, may be moved forwardly to feed the drill into the strata, I have provided a tool operator generally indicated at 51. The operator comprises a cylinder 52, which is clamped below and in parallel relation to the rails 32 by means of clamping bars 53. The cylinder 52 has a piston 54 slidable therein and the piston 54 is moved rearwardly to pull the carriage forwardly by fluid pressure which is discharged into the cylinder 52 from a forward pressure pipe 55. A rear pipe connection 56 discharges into the rear of the cylinder 52 for moving the piston 54 forwardly and thereby retracting the carriage 43 as will be hereinafter described.

The pipes 55 and 56 are connected to a conventional four way valve structure 57 of conventional construction and a bleed line 58 extends from the valve structure 57. The bleed line 58 may have a cutoff or regulating valve 58a interposed therein, whereby the exhaust of air may be retarded to thereby relieve the pressure on carriage 43 particularly where fitchery is encountered in the drilling operation. The valve structure 57 is connected to a source of fluid pressure supply by means of a flexible tubular member 59.

The piston 54 has connected to the front end thereof a flexible member 60 which extends through packing gland 61 carried by a cap 62. The flexible member 60 is then trained about the grooved pulley 63 which is rotatably carried by a shaft 64 disposed between a pair of cars 65 extending from the bushing 39 and fixed relative to the forward ends of the rails 32. The flexible member 60 is then extended rearwardly as indicated at 66 and is secured to a spring pressed bolt 67 engaging through an apertured car 68 which projects downwardly from the plate 44 of the carriage 43.

The bolt 67 is tensioned so as to maintain the flexible member 60 taut by means of a nut 69 which bears against a spring 70 engaging about the bolt 67. The opposite end of the piston 54 has secured thereto one end of a carriageretracting cable or flexible element 71, and flexible member 71 extends through a gland 72 carried by a rear end cap '73 mounted on the cylinder 52. The flexible member 71 engages about a rear grooved pulley 74 rotatably mounted on a shaft 75, and flexible member 71 extends forwardly from a pulley 74-as indicated at 76. The forward end of extension 76 is secured to a spring pressed bolt 77 which loosely engages through a depending car 78 carried by a plate 44. The bolt 77 is tensioned, and flexible member 71 with extension 76 are maintained taut by means of a nut 79 threaded on bolt 77 and engaging a spring 80.

The tool supporting member 24 is adjustably disposed in a horizontal position orv at an angle to the vertical by means of a collar 81 which is adjustably mounted on the post 16 and bears against collar 36. Collar is also vertically adjusted on the lower portion of post 16 by means of a collar 82 which is vertically adjusted on the lower portion of post 16.

Referring now to Figure 9, there is disclosed the modified form of this invention, wherein the cylinder 83 has a piston 84 slidable therein, similar to piston 54. The cylinder 83 has mounted at each end thereof a cap 85 within which a pulley or drum 86 is rotatably disposed. The drum or reel 86 has wound thereabout a cable 87 which is secured at one end on the drum 86, and is secured to the other end, on one end of the piston 84.

The drum 86 is fixed on-a shaft 88 which journalled in a bearing 89 carried by the cap 85 and projects through a combined bearing and gland 90 carried by a cap plate 91. The outer end of the shaft 88 has fixed thereto a reel.or drum 92 about which a flexible member 93 is wound and flexible member 93 is connected to a carriage similar to carriage 43.

Referring now to Figure 10, there is disclosed another modified form of a seal for the opposite ends of the hydraulic cylinder here designated as cylinder 94. As shown herein, a cap 95 is threadedly connected to each end of the cylinder 94 and a flexible member 96 extends concentrically through the cap'95 and is sealed by means of a gland generally indicated at 97; The gland 97 comprises a cylindrical body 98 carried by and projecting inwardly from cap 95, and body 98 has disposed therein a series of leather washers 99 between which metal washers 100 are disposed. The leather washers are under spring tension from a spring 101, and spring 101 is disposed between a pair of washers 102 and 103. Washer 103 bears to its outer side against a rubber washer 104, and a metal washer 105 bears against the outer side of washer 104. An outer leather washer 106 bears against the outer side of washer 105 and a metal washer 107 bears against the outer side of washer 106. A relatively thick rubber washer 108 bears against metal washer 107 and against the inner side of a small cap or bushing 109 which is threaded onto cap 95. Cap 109 is formed with a cylindrical bushing 110 projecting outwardly therefrom and a brush 111 is carried by bushing 110 and engages the flexible member 96 so as to keep this member 96 clean as member 96 is moved inwardly into cylinder 94 through the gland 97.

Referring now to Figure 11 there is disclosed another modified form of sealing means for the opposite end of the cylinder 112, which is similar to cylinder 52. The cylinder 112 has mounted in each end thereof a sleeve 113 which is secured in the end of cylinder 112 by fastening means 114. The sleeve 113 has threaded into the inner end thereof a cup-shaped cap 115 formed with a concave outer side 116. A series of leather washers 117 of concave-convex configuration are disposed in the cap 115, and rubber washers 118 are interposed between pairs of leather washers 117. An outer concave-convex metal Washer 119 bears against the outer one of the rubber washers 118, and the outer concave side of washer 119 has engaging therein a relatively thick rubber packing 12th The packing 120 has disposed in the center thereof a graphite packing 121. A disk shaped outer rubber washer 122 bears against the outer end of the packing 120 and a pair of disk shaped leather washers 123 are disposed in an outer cap or plug 124. The inner one of the washers 123 bears against the rubber washer 122. A rubber outer washer 125 is disposed in the cap or plug member 124 and bears against the outer one of the washers 123. v

The gland structure disclosed in Figure 11 is provided so as to maintain the flexible member 126 clean and at the same time the graphite bushing 121 will lubricate the flexible member 126.

In the use and operation of this invention the drilling tool is mounted on the carriage 43 and with the drilling bit projecting forwardly between the guide cars 47. The post 15 is secured between the ceiling or roof and the floor of the mine and drill supporting member 24 is angularly adjusted so as to guide the drill into the wall of the mine at the desired angle. The valve structure 57 is then operated to feed the carriage 43 forwardly as the bit digs into the wall. After the carriage 43 has moved forwardly or to the left as viewed in Figure 1 so that the drill bit has formed an opening of the desired depth, carriage 43 may be retracted by adjusting the valve 57 for moving carriage 43 rearwardly or to the right as viewed in Figure l. The tool feed means as hereinbefore described will provide a means whereby constant pressure will be maintained on the tool and the bit so that the tool will move forwardly at an even rate, the movement of the tool depending on the physical character of the strata which is being drilled by the drill bit. The tool supporting means hereinbefore described can be collapsed to occupy a relatively small space, by collapsing the support member 44 and the brace 25 as shown in dot and dash lines in Figure 1. It will be understood that the support structure may assume a horizontal position with it in collapsed form as the device herein disclosed is slightly longer when in collapsed form than the distance between the floor and roof or ceiling of the opening or mine.

What is claimed is:

1. A supporting means for a drilling tool comprising an elongated guide means, means supporting said guide means at a predetermined angular position relative to the vertical, a carriage slidable on said guide means, a cylinder carried by said guide means, a piston slidable in said cylinder, a reel shaft at each end of said cylinder, a first pair of reels on one of said shafts, one of said first pair of reels being positioned adjacent one end of said piston, the other of said first pair of reels being positioned adjacent one end of said carriage, a first pair of flexible members, one of said first pair of flexible members having one of its ends connected with said one end of said piston and its other end trained about said reel confronting said one end of said piston, the other of said first pair of flexible members having one of its ends secured to said one end of said carriage and its other end trained about said pulley adjacent thereto, a second pair of reels on the other of said shafts, one of said second pair of reels being positioned adjacent the other end of said piston, the other of said second pair of reels being positioned adjacent the other end of said carriage, a second pair of flexible members, one of said second pair of flexible members having one of its ends secured to the other end of said piston and its other end trained about said pulley adjacent said other end of said piston, the other of said second pair of flexible members having one of its ends connected with the other end of said carriage and its other end trained about said pulley adjacent said other end of said carriage, whereby movement of said piston in either direction eflects movement of said carriage in a corresponding direction, and means connecting said cylinder with a source of pressure supply.

2. A supporting means for a drilling tool comprising an elongated guide means, means supporting said guide means at a predetermined angular position relative to the vertical, a carriage slidable on said guide means and having a pair of opposed ends, a cylinder carried by said guide means, a piston slidably mounted in said cylinder and having a pair of opposed ends, a shaft journalled for rotation in each end of said cylinder, a reel for each of said shafts, said reels being positioned within said cylinder, a flexible member for each of said reels, said flexible members having one of their ends trained about their respective reels and the other ends of said flexible members connected with that end of said piston adjacent each of said reels, a second reel mounted on each of said shafts, said second reels being carried on said shafts externally of said cylinder, a flexible member for each i of said second reels, each of said last named members having one of their ends trained around their respective reel, the other ends of said last named flexible members being connected, respectively, to opposite ends of said carriage, whereby movement of said piston in either direction effects a corresponding movement in the same direction of said carriage, and means connecting said cylinder with a source of pressure supply.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,524,711 Hodson Feb. 3, 1925 1,834,701 Gustafson Dec. 1, 1931 2,586,924 Desmond Feb. 26, 1952 

